The Indian edible oil industry has raised concerns over a sudden and massive influx of refined soybean and palm oil from Nepal, which they claim is bypassing trade rules and severely impacting domestic refiners, farmers, and government revenue. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, industry representatives called for immediate intervention to regulate the duty-free imports, which they say are flooding the Indian market under the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) agreement. The letter was also addressed to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi. Data reveals a sharp rise in Nepal’s exports of edible oils to India, jumping from just 687 metric tonnes (MT) in July-August 2024 to 56,444 MT between 15 December 2024 and 15 January 2025. The figures show a steady increase over the months—2,240 MT in August-September, 6,765 MT in September-October, 18,165 MT in October-November, and 32,816 MT in November-December.
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